Trapping for fur has been a long-lived trading activity, and many make a living doing so. However, as the ages advanced, fur buyers have been increasingly particular about the furs they purchase, expecting more from traders even at lower trading prices.
In the last few years, the fur industry has come to standardize pelt shapes and sizes, in that, for example a beaver's pelt is categorized in seven different sizes of a specific oval shape.
It is desirable for trappers to obtain the largest pelt possible while maintaining this desired shape at the same time, all while creating the least waste possible.
The applicant is aware of several attempts in prior art to provide means stretching pelts to a desired shape. An example may be had by referring to prior art U.S. Pat. No. 2,283,367 of Hintz, issued May 19, 1942 depicting a resilient inter-connected band forming a circle having a plurality of slidable pins adapted to attach to said band while a pointed tip protrudes upward from the upper edge of said band thereby providing pelt attaching means to said circular band. However, the natural geometric form of a looped band is in fact circular, not oval therefore failing to accurately target the oval form desired by buyers.
Another example of prior art may be had in referring to U.S. Pat. No. 2,290,457 of Taylor, issued Jul. 21, 1942, which depicts a frame work adapted with an array of return hooks attached thereto, and slidable interconnections between four hooked member. However effective this invention may be to literally stretch pelts, it does fail in providing guidance to form and size of said pelts.
Another example of prior art may be had in referring to U.S. Pat. No. 2,494,949 of Langdahl, issued Apr. 21, 1947, which describes yet another circular band on which bead chains hooked to a pelt and attached to said band. Again this invention fails to provide the desired templated size and form.
While many attempts have been made to provide trappers with means of pelting furs, none of these prior art inventions seem to provide means of accurately stretching a pelt to conform to measurable industry standards all while reducing fur waste in the process.